“One, [Wilson] Ramos is the No. 1 catcher,” Johnson said. “He needs all the experience he can get. Two, [Jesus Flores] is coming back from two years on the shelf. He can regain his shape. That’s very important. That’s more important than Pudge getting in a game. I know [Rodriguez] wants to play and is ready to play. I explained that to him once.”

Rodriguez, who missed nearly two months with a strained oblique, is batting just .212/.273/.322 in 118 at-bats for the season. He’s 40 now and he hasn’t been an effective hitter in years, but he says he hopes to play four more seasons. Sadly, he may need to stay in the league that long to get the 158 hits he needs for 3,000. He has just 25 this year.